Well no, but Toronto’s Tevaun Smith got stranded nonetheless in the Windy City on the Big Happy Holiday less than three weeks ago, en route to trying out as a wide receiver for the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars.

It was his 10th tryout since getting cut by the Indianapolis Colts in August. And it proved successful; Smith signed to the Jaguars’ practice squad on Dec. 26 and remains there.

“I got the call on Christmas Eve,” Smith said in the Jaguar’s locker room at EverBank Stadium on Monday, a day after Jacksonville knocked off the Buffalo Bills in an AFC wild-card game. “They told me I had to fly out on Christmas Day.

“I was in Toronto with my family for Christmas. Our Christmas Day party was going to start at 4 o’clock, but that’s when I had to fly out. So I had to leave at 2 p.m. My flight wound up getting delayed out of Toronto, and I got stuck in Chicago because I missed my connection.”

Smith found a hotel to stay in — “I wasn’t going to sleep in an airport on Christmas Day” — and flew out of O’Hare airport the next morning, arriving a bit late to his workout in front of Jaguars coaches and talent evaluators.

“As soon I arrived I had to come in and warm up immediately, to get ready to work out, to run a 40 and stuff.”

“But they said, ‘We heard you’ve been through a lot the last couple of days.’ I was like, ‘Yeah.’”

Smith tore a groin muscle early in Colts training camp in August. They waived him with an injury designation, then cut him outright after reaching an injury settlement, per NFL procedures.

How is he now?

“I had to get a couple of injections up in there, and I was in rehab for about a month or two, so now I’m making sure that my body is ready to go throughout the week of practice,” he said. “It’s been a busy, busy few months for me.”

Indeed. Among other teams to work out Smith during the regular season were New England, Chicago, the New York Jets, Houston, Dallas and Oakland.

“I signed with the Raiders for a week, on the practice squad when Michael Crabtree got suspended,” said Smith, who played his college ball at the University of Iowa.

The Raiders cut him a week later.

When the Cowboys caught wind that the Jags had offered Smith a practice-squad contract the day after Christmas, they suddenly promised him an offer too, he said.

“Dallas wanted me for next season, to a futures contract for after the season. It was a really tough decision, going to Dallas or staying here. I chose here. It’s a good team, good atmosphere and it reminds me of Iowa — guys that work really hard, and are pushed really hard by the coaches. Not that they didn’t on the Colts. But it’s kind of like what I was used to.

“I’m hoping that going into next year the Jaguars sign me to a futures deal. Whatever happens, coming here was a good Christmas present to myself.”

CANADIAN TV RATINGS

NFL TV viewership in Canada fell sharply in 2017 in the two Sunday afternoon timeslots, but rose in the only other apples-to-apples, year-over-year timeslot comparison, Monday nights, according to Numeris figures supplied to Postmedia by Bell Media.

Viewership on Bell’s TV channels on Sunday nights, meantime, skyrocketed — probably because of wider, cost-free access — while the move of Thursday Night Football to TSN from Sportsnet resulted in another not-unexpected ratings jump.

Average viewership for games that started at 1 p.m. ET (that is, the early afternoon timeslot) dropped 8% in 2017, from 743,000 in 2016 to 732,000. The drop doubled in the 18-49 age demo: 16%. It should be noted that 2016 viewership in this timeslot had risen 7% in 2016 from 2015 and to a record level.

Traditionally the most-viewed game window of the week in Canada is late Sunday afternoon, and drops here were more significant — down 12% from 888,000 in 2016 to 808,000, with a 19% plunge in the 18-49 demo. Viewership from 2015 to 2016 had risen 2%.

It’s on Sunday nights where Canadian viewership rocketed upward in 2017 — a whopping 42% year over year, from an average audience of 362,000 to 622,000. That’s undoubtedly thanks to Bell putting Sunday Night Football games on free, omni-available base network CTV Two for the first time, in addition to pay sports channel TSN.

Sunday night viewership rose 10% in the adult 18-49 age demographic.

TSN kept Thursday Night Football this season, after contracting it out to rival Sportsnet in recent years, and average viewership rose 28%, from 263,000 in 2016 to 489,000, with a 10% jump in the 18-49 demo.

SEAHAWKS SHAKEUP

Seattle head coach Pete Carroll normally is as loyal to his assistant coaches as anyone, so it’s a surprise he turfed two key staff members Wednesday, after the Seahawks failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2011: Offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and offensive-line coach Tom Cable.

EXTRA POINTS

Amid more retirement speculation, Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger said he expects this won’t be his last game as a Pittsburgh Steeler at Heinz Field, but added he’s not looking past Sunday’s game against Jacksonville … Cleveland GM John Dorsey hired two former long-time Green Bay executives for his front office: Eliot Wolf as assistant GM, and Alonzo Highsmith as VP of player personnel … The New York Giants interviewed a sixth candidate for its head coach vacancy, Eric Studesville, a 17-year NFL running-backs coach. Reports say New England defensive coordinator Matt Patricia might be the leading candidate … As reported here first two weeks ago, Canadian OT Trey Rutherford will play in the Jan. 20 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl. Rutherford, who’s from Oshawa and just concluded his U.S. college career at UConn, will play on the National Team, coached by Mike Martz. They’ll play the Amerian Team coached by Darrell Green. The NFLPA announced rosters Wednesday … Denver hired several new assistant coaches: Chris Strausser (offensive line – tackles), Tom McMahon (special teams coordinator), Zach Azzanni (wide receivers) and Greg Williams (DBs) … Indy WR T.Y. Hilton, Carolina PK Graham Gano and Carolina G Trai Turner all were named as Pro Bowl replacements.

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